Examining the Senate’s immigration reform package by the numbers

The Senate adjourned for recess last week after passing a historic immigration reform bill by a large bipartisan margin, sending it to the House where it is destined for extensive markup. Below, Texas on the Potomac dissects the bill by the numbers and examines the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of its potential to reduce the federal deficit.

The CBO released a study June 19 that examined the bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, estimating that it would reduce deficits by $197 billion in the decade after it would have been enacted.

But the adoption of Sen. Patrick Leahy’s amendment, which includes a border security provision crafted by Sen. Corker and Hoeven, poses additional implications for deficit reductions, according to a June 24 CBO letter to Leahy.

The amendment appropriates $46.3 billion to maintain Southwest border security and cover initial administrative costs. That is $38 billion greater than the version of the legislation approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in May.

The CBO estimated that the amendment would add roughly $40 billion in direct spending. Consequently, the office predicted savings in government revenue in the next decade would be about $157 billion — smaller than the $197 billion projected by the committee-approved bill.